UK Power Networks said more than 5,000 customers were affected by power cuts in the Geat Yarmouth area with hundreds more homes impacted across the east of England.

A fallen tree blocks a main road in Wanstead in east London on Thursday morningCredit:
JEFF MOORE

Meanwhile, a Met Office amber weather warning of snow and ice for Scotland ended at 5am and police downgraded their advice to “high risk”. They said there is a high likelihood of disruption and delays on the roads.

Very strong winds across England and Wales this morning. Be aware of longer journey times for the rush hour, especially in eastern parts where gusts over 70 mph are still possible. Here are the highest gusts recorded at 6am pic.twitter.com/juIUmSGX6M

Meterologist Alex Burkill said: “It’s going to be a cold and blustery day with further showers especially in the north and west.

“There is likely to be disruption to travel so before you had head out, it’s worth taking a look at the state of the roads you will be travelling on.”There is a risk you could be held up and delayed and if you think that’s possible, make sure you have essentials with you such as coats, water and food in case you get held up for several hours.

Trains cancelled as railway lines blocked

Disruption was caused by a train hitting a tree near Lower Sydenham in south-east London and another service colliding with a fence on the line near Sheerness-on-Sea in Kent.

We’re now out of the @Se_Railway train after an evacuation by the police and a walk along the track. We were stuck just outside New Beckenham for more than an hour and the tree is still on the track. Avoid the Hayes line because all trains are cancelled #tictocnewspic.twitter.com/QtzhgVY77z

A tree also fell onto the line in the Deal area of Kent, while a freight train struck two sheds that had blown on to the railway between Newtown and Welshpool in Wales.

In a series of tweets outlining the problems, National Rail said level crossing barriers between Chester and Wrexham had been damaged by high winds, with replacement road transport running between Chester and Shrewsbury.

Meanwhile, damage to overhead power cables blocked lines between Colchester and Ipswich, and Birmingham and Redditch.

Poor weather conditions also delayed journeys to and from London’s King’s Cross station after an object was caught in the overhead electric wires between Peterborough and Stevenage.

Fallen trees caused disruption to journeys across networks including the Gatwick Express, Southern and Thameslink.

Passengers were warned that trains might be cancelled, delayed by up to 30 minutes or revised, with disruption expected until at least midday.

High winds have felled an 80 year old approx 50ft balsam poplar in our orchard, thankfully missing the Geoffrey Clarke sculpture, Call it Hadrian’s Wall. Our gardeners estimate that clearance will take a week, with the wood recycled for use around College pic.twitter.com/zPWwa0nNat

ASouthern Rail spokesman said: “High winds can cause a number of problems for the railway, in particular obstructions caused by fallen trees and other debris blown onto the lines. In exposed coastal areas where gusts are strongest high waves may also cause damage to tracks and ballast (small stones which tracks rest on).

“Network Rail, who own and maintain the railway have additional staff in place ready to respond to potential problems. They also have specialist chainsaw trained teams ready to remove fallen trees and branches.”

Which Southern lines have been affected?

Oxted – Uckfield

Oxted – East Grinstead

Horsham – Dorking

Southampton – Havant

Purley – Tattenham Corner

There was also widespread disruption across the South Western Railway network after a number of trees blocked lines.

Passengers were warned of delays and cancellations across routes in areas including Weymouth, Bournemouth, Southampton, Portsmouth, Guildford and London Waterloo.

The problem also damaged signalling equipment at Milford, Surrey, blocking lines, and power supply equipment at Hinchley Wood

Fallen trees and brick gable blown away

Several police and fire and rescue services forces, including Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, Norfolk, Surrey, Gloucestershire and Cambridgeshire, reported fallen trees and urged people to take extra care.

Poor weather conditions were also affecting railways in the Midlands, with overhead electric wires damaged between Wolverhampton and Stafford.

A fallen tree blocks a road in Norwich, as drivers have been warned to only travel if necessary amid gale-force windsCredit:
Rebecca Horton

West Midlands Fire Service said no one was injured when a brick gable was blown off a house in the Stoke Heath area of Coventry.

Pictures posted on Twitter by crews at the city’s Foleshill fire station showed debris on the ground near the three-storey property.

Red Watch Foleshill securing area around 3storey town house, entire gable end which has blow off property in Stoke Health Coventry.Luckily no injuries,Be careful out there today, #StormFionnpic.twitter.com/BPWT6QdwDg

Meanwhile, Derbyshire Police said it had received a large amount of calls regarding fallen trees blocking roads.

Passengers were being warned to expect delays to and from Manchester Piccadilly, between Birmingham New Street and Crewe, through Birmingham New Street and between Birmingham New Street and Redditch.

Drivers help to push a vehicle back on the road after heavy snow made road conditions difficult in Midlothian near Edinburgh, as motorists were warned to only travel if necessaryCredit:
David Cheskin /PA

Weather warnings for snow and ice

A snow and ice warning in place for northern areas of Scotland will be extended to Northern Ireland and northern England, forecasters said.

During the night, temperatures dropped at low as -7C (19F) in Loch Glascarnoch while snowfalls continued to be topped up.

The Dartford River crossing was closed on Thursday morning due to strong winds, causing traffic delays on the M25 and A2Credit:
WENN

Eskdalemuir in Dumfries and Galloway recorded up 36cm of lying snow, while Spadeadam in Cumbria, which escaped much of the snow on Wednesday, now has 23cm of snow – with up to 20cm falling on Wednesday night alone.

On Wednesday, persistent snow and ice caused treacherous driving conditions and brought the M74 in Scotland to a standstill – with more than 200 motorists stranded in their vehicles overnight – but Traffic Scotland said there were no significant incidents on the roads for rush hour traffic and traffic on the M74 was “coping well”.

This was later downgraded to stage three to warn motorists of a “high risk of disruption” during the morning.

Vehicles battle through treacherous conditions on the M74 early on WednesdayCredit:
JacquesOeuf /Twitter

Many lorries jack-knifed on the M74, causing more problems for motoristsCredit:
JacquesOeuf/Twitter

Posting this picture on Twitter, Jacques Oeuf wrote: “Free parking on the M74 southbound. Been here two hours and haven’t had a ticket!”Credit:
Jacques Oeuf/Twitter

Police Scotland Superintendent Calum Glenny said: “Despite some difficult weather conditions in the Dumfries and Galloway area which caused some disruption, the weather was not as severe as was first forecast.

“Thankfully, a significant number of motorists heeded the warnings which had been issued to avoid travelling on the roads and I’d like to thank them for doing so.”

In Europe a “code red” warning has been issued in the Netherlands and all flights from Amsterdam Schiphol airport have been suspended.

Most rail traffic has also stopped as winds gust at up to 140km/h (90mph) across the country.